Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-01-19

even that tickle and false Percival-looking
Tier Rorst. Then the door opened, and he
W. aSl4eFed irs-.-, -,as%ssN. q:
The two stood looking at each other in
silence for moment. He saw her pale, worn,
and clad in black. She saw him bearded,
weatherburnt, stronger looking, handsomer
than ever She was ready in her heart-sick-
ness to cast herself in his arms and take her
chance. But just then she saw the mark of q
cut upon his forehead, and she remembered
the accident with Mrs. Lanigan.
Why he had waited that moment I cannot
tell. A man never should pause when the
| woman he loves shows the smallest sign of
readiness for his embrace. Perhaps Percival
only wished to give the maid time to 60
down stairs It is certain that next moment
he sprang forward, with his arms stretched
out, to take Sophia to his breast; but that
little space of waiting gave jealousy time to
erect barrier before her heart She would
even then have given the world for his en-
brace, If but it had been honest; but per-
picked, tortured, and at last fairly mad with
jealousy she turned deadly white, and, sob
bing, she cast herself on the couch, where,
! erasping the satin cushion in her hands in a
passion of grief or disappointment
"Oh can't, 1 can't, can't" she cried, in a
| heartbroken voice.
The room was half in darkness, and Per-
cival by no means understood the true cause
of her agitation. He came to her side, and,
kneeling, took her in his arms without a
word. She felt his embrace winding about
her, so full of strength She was nothing in
his arms! In her wretchedness she felt thank
full that he had taken her so. It was not her
doing! She was too frail to resist him. And
SO he drew her gently up until their eyes met
again.
Let me tell you secret, reader. Some
men and women-3lot many-are born in this
world who are honest by nature. Earth.
sprung honesty I should call theirs, to dis
tinguish it from that which is the result of
sound teaching and example. These people
are never so awkward as when they are
doing anything mean or underhand; and for
the rest Of their lives their honesty is pro-
claimed in their aspect Such was Percival
Brent. He was a simple, straightforward
man, true by instinct, and the idea of having
been seriously false to Sophia-or that he
could have been suspected Of such an Of
fense-had never crossed his mind. And
now, as he looked down into her troubled
eyes, his own, which were dark brown, and
very speaking in their way, beamed out
steadfast rays Of love and truth. There was
little surprise, little sadness in the ex-
preston; but the clear, strong gaze could
never have come from any but a true man.
Sophia felt it. Before he opened his lips she
knew she had misjudged him. Already she
was beginning to hate herself for her doubts.
tfsnoment longer he gazed.at her, not, as it
would seem, wishing to hurry her kiss; and
sha grew SO impatient to expiate her fault
THAI she was going to kiss him first. He
gently held her back.
"Sophia, he said, @do you remember tho
day we said good-by at the Beeches"
She nodded her head in answer. She could
not speak. Her eyes were running over.
~ could not say good-by. was too broken
far too broken"
She pressed his hand to tell him how wei
she remembered ALL
@But," he continued, in his quiet voice,
awhile held you to my heart vowed vow
that when took my lips away from yours I
would never touch a woman's lips again until
ours met once more"
He stopped.
II understand" Sophia said to herself, with
sudden flash Of new interest In his words.
@He is going to confess to me about Mrs.
Lanigan! daresay he only firted with her
bit; and he must have been very lonely in
Australia; and no doubt she was very for
ward-like an actress!
All this ran through her mind, not only
faster than it runs from my pen, but faster
far, reader, than your eye travels along the
line of words. Without pause Percival
went on:
+ "And have kept that VOW, Sophia. I
wanted to tell you before 1 kissed you. You
can take your good-by kiss back again; for
the lips have been all your own since then. "
"Oh, wait-wait one moment!" she cried.
She wished to collect herself for the COM
ing Joy Besides, ought she to kiss him with
her eyes wet with tears? So she made ready.
Then she turned her warm and melting lips
upward, and, as she drank his long kiss, she
sighed sigh of rapture too deep for words,
almost too deep for thought II am his, and
he is mine" Oh, how that pure embrace re-
warded her, in one great spell of bliss, for all
her waiting and her pain! She forgot every
thing but her deep happiness. She was in
trance of joy, and all beside joy faded out
of her consciousness. There was neither
past nor present, neither hope nor fear,
neither wish nor regret-al was merged in
the full and blessed now
Ideclare I will not have my lovers peeped
at for the next few minutes. And l shall
tell you nothing at all, but let your fancy
paint what passed on that sofa.
Glance back over your own lives. Have
you ever had such moment Of love after
years of pain! Just recall your own sensa-
tiohs, and leave Percival and Sophia to enjoy
theirs undisturbed, as happy lovers should.
Even when their first transports are over
there they sit. exchanging at slow intervals
one low spoken sentence for another.
- So at full tide on some quiet coast wave
breaks with a low plash of music on the
shore, and then there is silence, and then
another wave answers in the same murmur-
ing note, as in its turn it lays its head on the
golden beach. Or so, deep in the woods at
summer noon, when all beside is rest and
stiffness, one singing bird trills out few
deep notes of passion, and then the golden
stiffness recurs. until the mate answers from
another tree in notes as laden with music
and tenderness. Break, shining seq, wave
after wave of joy! Sing, birds of love, and
let the voice of your passion 60 to and fro
from breast to breast And you two pure
and faithful hearts, touch each other at last.
and tell in what language you please that
earthly paradise is here, within your clasped
arms.
"But, Sophia" Percival says at last, "for
what possible reason did you behave yourself